While he did not quite compare winning the overall Winner of Winners award with seeing Sports Turf Research Institute's hard work in full flourish at the World Cup final and the Olympics, Gordon McKillop was delighted.

After being handed the main award towards the end of the evening, STRI chief executive Mr McKillop said: “What more can I say? I am very, very surprised, delighted, overwhelmed and over the moon.

“You always have high hopes for your own category, but when you see the range and quality of all the other businesses, I almost didn’t listen to this one!”

STRI provides a comprehensive range of services for the research, design, construction and management of sports pitches and sports surfaces, at all levels from local authority pitches to World Cup football venues.

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Mr McKillop is a Queen's Park FC supporter from Glasgow who came to Bradford to work for STRI. He said: "The job brought me to Bradford. I had links with STRI for five or six years, then when my predecessor retired I applied for his job."

He has since seen the firm's hard work pay off in spectacular fashion.

"I love what I do," said Mr McKillop. "Is there anything better than standing in the Maracana stadium in Brazil looking at the fruits of your hard work, or being at the London Olympics where we did the cross country equestrian in Greenwich Park? You then reap the rewards at events like this."

He added: "You just think the other finalists will win - we are very proud and delighted that it is us. I have always thought that we have been a good business within Bradford, working with the local community, the Council, local schools and the Chamber of Commerce."